Boots Naked Colour Shampoo & Conditioner
These two hair products are two of the worst I’ve ever tried. The shampoo doesn’t lather up properly (it’s SLS-free), and the conditioner doesn’t condition at all. I think it anti-conditions, and it made me lose about five times as much hair as I’d normally lose in the shower. Complete rubbish!

If you read my blog regularly, you know I’m a total Olay nut. So whilst I usually find Olay products excellent, this eye swirl disappointed me. I didn’t see any improvement in my fiine lines or my dark circles. And whilst the shimmer particles in this eye cream reflect light and can make dark circles invisible, this effect is only temporary, and it’s gone as soon as you cleanse your face. Another problem is that eye cream is too rich. I couldn’t use it under my make-up, so I could only use this eye cream on homeworking days (= when I don’t wear make-up). Not what I wanted or expected…

Garnier Ultimate Blends The Silky Smoother Shampoo & Conditioner
Whilst these two hair care products smell absolutely delicious, there was nothing else that I liked about them. The shampoo turned my hair into a knotty and unflexible mess which the conditioner couldn’t take care of. Double-conditioning, sometimes even triple-conditioning, was a daily must… I think I finished the big 400ml conditioner in around ten days. Shocking, I know! By the way, these two products seem to disappear from the supermarket and drugstore shelves. So I guess I’m not the only one who was underwhelmed by these products.

So, this was the second edition of The Ultimate Beauty Duds. I’m not saying that no one could ever like any of these products (some of them are still around). It’s just that I found them to be awful. But if you like any of these products, that’s good for you.

Any beauty duds you’d like to tell me about? Feel free to let me know. And thanks for reading!

Hi there! It’s sample time again today. 🙂 I’ve had this Clarins Double Serum sample for ages. I was reluctant to try it because I once suffered a horrible reaction from using a different high-end serum (different brand), and a few (literally a few) reviewers who tried this Clarins Double Serum reported unpleasant skin reactions.

But I’ve now finally tried this serum – and I made sure it wouldn’t get anywhere near my eyes. And as soon as I had applied it, I washed my hands right away – just to be on the safe side.

The serum didn’t irritate my skin at all. So my worries were unfounded. But the serum didn’t do much for me.

I’m used to creamy serums which make my skin feel velvety in an instant. So I’m not in love with the thin formula of this serum. And I didn’t like that the serum became sticky while I was still smoothing it into my skin. But that’s down to personal preference and the next lady might love this formula.

Now back to why the serum didn’t work for me. OK, the serum claims to to make pores less visible and to target skin ageing in general. I acknowledge my review is based on a single use of this serum, so I can’t comment on its long term benefits. But I found that it actually made my pores look bigger than usual.

I also thought the serum could be more nourishing. I’m not saying it dried out my skin, but I put on moisturiser three times today because my skin felt less soft and supple than usual.

So based on my experience (a one-off use of this serum) I can say for sure I won’t be buying the full-size product. Clarins Double Serum may work fine for ladies with different skin types, and it may even be the best wrinkle-smoother in the world if it’s used long-term. But I won’t be spending £56 on the full-size product just to conduct a more extensive trial on a product I really didn’t like in the first place (runny, then sticky texture, not nourishing, made my pores look bigger).

Have you tried this serum? How’s it working for you? Is it the holy grail serum for you if you use it regularly? Please share your experience with me. 🙂 And thanks for stopping by!